Like this topic? You may also like these photo galleries:

Cranley cranley November 6, 2013 Mayor-elect John Cranley is photographed in his home in Mt. Lookout on Wednesday, November 6, 2013. The Enquirer/Leigh Taylor(Photo: Leigh Taylor, Cincinnati Enquirer)Buy Photo

Few bridges in Ohio are in worse shape than the Western Hills Viaduct – and a group of concerned citizens say it's time politicians start doing something about it.

A new study released Thursday is the latest reminder that the main route connecting Cincinnati's West Side neighborhoods to Downtown and Uptown – the region's largest jobs centers – is crumbling and in need of replacement.

The Western Hills Viaduct was listed among the top 10 most-traveled structurally deficient bridges in Ohio, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. No other major bridge in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky is in worse shape, but there's no money to replace the 82-year-old, double-decked viaduct.

A new bridge is estimated to cost $240 million – and taxpayers from across the city and Hamilton County will be on the hook for paying for some of the project. So far, just $5.5 million has been designated for a new viaduct project, said city engineer Richard Szekeresh, the project leader.

"We're not expecting the money to come any time soon," Szekeresh said.

The federal government has labeled the viaduct "structurally deficient." Concrete is deteriorating, exposing reinforced steel and causing it to rust. Oversized loads are banned. Planners say the bridge will need to either be replaced or completely overhauled within 10 years.

We examine this deteriorating West Side landmark.
The Enquirer/Tony Jones

Many local and state leaders, meanwhile, have spent years focusing mostly on other projects – the Cincinnati streetcar, the Brent Spence Bridge replacement, a new Interstate 71 Uptown interchange and the Eastern Corridor rail, highway and bike project.

"I do not think many elected officials are paying that much attention to the viaduct," said Pete Witte, a West Side activist and small business owner. "I worry that so many of them will see it as so localized in its impact, that it won't get the attention it needs. That's why we as a community have to step up and stoke the flames to keep the project alive."

Witte and a group of about 15 West Side residents have been discussing in recent months a plan to lobby city and Hamilton County leaders to move the project forward. Witte also has been in discussions with the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority and Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments transportation planning agency about having transit access be considered in the new viaduct design.

The group plans to make a presentation to City Council's transportation committee next month. Witte said it took an organized effort from West Side residents to push for a new Sixth Street Viaduct, also known as the Waldvogel Viaduct. That bridge is undergoing a $55 million reconstruction and is expected to be finished later this year.

"It's definitely a priority for me," Mayor John Cranley said of the Western Hills Viaduct. "I intend to lobby for money in the federal and state capital budgets to get it fixed."

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association found the viaduct to be among 63,000 structurally compromised bridges across the U.S. The Washington, D.C.-based industry group is warning the problem could get worse if Congress doesn't act in coming months. The federal Highway Trust Fund, typically used to pay for transportation projects, could run out of money by this fall.

That has put a lot pressure on local municipalities to try to figure out how to pay for major infrastructure projects on their own – a big reason tolls have become a popular trend nationwide.

Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune said by this summer he plans to propose that a nationwide coalition of local political and business leaders be formed to help Washington prioritize infrastructure projects and hold federal politicians accountable for following through on funding.

The ban on federal earmarks has reduced the incentive for federal lawmakers to collaborate and get projects done. "We're not going to wait anymore," said Portune, also chairman of the OKI board. "It's got to get solved this year."

The Western Hills Viaduct opened in January 1932 as the Gateway to the West Side. The half-mile bridge – owned by the county and operated by the city – carries 70,604 vehicles a day, according to federal data.

"I'm not worried about the structural capacity, but it's reaching the end of its life," Szekeresh said. "As it gets older, we're just going to have to keep spending more and more money to keep it safe."

Read or Share this story: http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2014/04/24/study-western-hills-viaduct-one-nations-worst/8125203/